In between 5am gym training sessions and 12-hour shifts driving a bus, you could count on seeing Dan Stoddard on the court at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada.
He's driven, dedicated, and - as a sophomore clocking in at 6ft 8in - easily the tallest member of the school's basketball team.
There's just one thing - Stoddard is 40 years old. And he dreams of joining the NBA.
When Stoddard first walked onto the court as a member of the Algonquin Thunder, he could he hear snickers from the opposing team's players and coaches.
At 40 years old, Dan Stoddard is defying the odds to play basketball at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada. And he has dreams of making the NBA someday
Stoddard (pictured seated, center) fits 5am gym training sessions, practice, games, and accounting classes around his 12-hour bus shifts
When Stoddard first walked onto the court as a member of the Algonquin Thunder, he could he hear snickers from the opposing team's players and coaches
'People think it's a big show,' Stoddard told Longreads. 'I'm going to try to defy that. To change that view.'
'For those that love the game, they understand in a way what I am trying to do. For those that don't, they are snickering and laughing, maybe next year we beat them and the snickers stop. That's the plan.'
But Stoddard is working hard to prove that his dreams aren't a joke or a sideshow act
Stoddard has been working hard to make that dream a reality since he joined the team last year, juggling training, practice, and accounting classes with his job at OC Transpo, Ottawa's Public Transit System.
'All Dan cares about is getting better and better,' said Trevor Costello, the team's head coach. 'This f****r is constantly in pain. He's just so dedicated.'
'He sprained his ankle before last Christmas, and after a 12-hour shift driving a bus, his foot down on the ground the whole time, his foot was the size of a watermelon.'
It's a goal that sounds crazy to most. Stoddard is trying to keep up with men half his age, not only for four full years of college ball, but in the big leagues as well.
'You can call it lunacy,' he said. 'I'm not saying I'll make the NBA or go play overseas, but I want to get to a point where I can do it.'
'So what if it happened at 42?' Stoddard continues, referring to the age he will be when he graduates. 'Who gives a s**t. I've always said age is a number, but that's bulls**t.'
'We all know it's old, especially when it comes to basketball. But if you can play, you can play, and I just want to have the definitive answer, to have someone tell me I don't have the talent to make it at the highest level. It's just to know.'
'The reality is that when growing up, you see the NBA, and that's where you want to be. It's the best, and you strive for the best,' he added.
Stoddard joined the team last year, juggling training, practice, and accounting classes with a full-time job
Up until last fall Stoddard was working as a bus driver (pictured), taking 12-hour shifts in between his training and practices
'You don't just want to be the guy no one remembers. That's all I'm trying to do.'
It wasn't until high school that Stoddard first began to play ball. His height was a huge bonus, but he flunked out before he could develop his skills.
Stoddard married his wife Amy at 20 years old, went on to have two children, and spent more than a decade going from job to job to support his family, with little sense of what he actually wanted to do.
There were 100-hour work weeks at construction sites and sewer maintenance. At one point he was working three jobs at the same time, laying bricks in the morning, delivering beer at night, and bartending on weeks.
While working as a bouncer, Stoddard was stabbed in the right shoulder. He was treated by paramedics that night, and showed up for work at his construction job the next morning.
'I spent a long part of my life not knowing what I wanted to do, or how I wanted to be perceived, or the legacy I wanted to leave behind,' he said.
Stoddard said his teammates began to take him seriously when they saw him up at 5am to train at the gym
'All Dan cares about is getting better and better,' said Trevor Costello, the team's head coach. 'This f****r is constantly in pain. He's just so dedicated'
'He was living a s****y lifestyle,' Stoddard's wife Amy added. 'Taking little bits of everything around him that pissed him off and holding it in. He was miserable.'
